L.A. Cohn Zone

Relevant Things That Show Up In My Day

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Fine TuningTracks

I was in the studio with my producer, Robert Eibach, and watched him tighten up the vocal harmonies for “Wakantanka”. The difference between hearing a recording and a live performance is huge. In a live performance, the audience is interacting with the artist and is engaged in the energy of the moment. Precision is nice but it’s not essential live.

In a recording, precision is everything. Being a great recording artist has more to do with the producer on the project than the performer themselves. Even though I had to sing and play my song on guitar to establish the vibe and the feeling of the track, Robert directed me in achieving the dynamics in the song for recording. He hears it differently than I do.

What I find amazingly cool about this process is how happy my song is with what Robert is adding to it. I can feel it. “Wakantanka” is a song that speaks deeply in my soul. It has its own life in a way, a thing about it that is an extension of me, kind of like a child. And it’s getting ready to be heard and it’s excited about that. It’s nice to have a happy song.

Blessings!
Laura

Robert Eibach is one of my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Monday, October 30, 2006

Car Stuff

North Hollywood Auto Repair has been the shop that I’ve taken my car to for the last 4 years. The first time I went there, I asked them to look over my car and give me a list of what would need to be done in the order of importance. My car is a 1989 Honda civic hatchback. I’m the original owner and doing regular maintenance on my car is a must.

The guys at the shop have always been very honest with me, done great work, and taken care of my car when something needed attention immediately. It took about 2 years to go through the list of work that my car needed to have taken care of. And some other things have come up in the meantime. After 17 ½ years, some original parts just get worn out.

I have a relationship with my car that’s very cool. It has a way of letting me know when it’s time to have work done. Before my trip to San Diego this weekend I took my car in for an oil change and to have it looked over. In about 3000 miles or so the car will need some parts replaced. It’s cheaper than buying a new car. And I love my car. It’s a classic.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Flag Making In Coronado

I was at a peace flag making event in Coronado, CA today with Peace Flags By Kids. It was lots of fun, great to be by the San Diego Bay and powerful to see the children create their work. Children are amazing. My friend, Sharon the founder of the organization, and I were pretty motivated after the response the peace flags got at the Peace Parade in LA.

Sharon has the process of setting up the flag making very organized. The trunk of her car is like an arts and crafts storage facility. She has pre-made flag templates for the kids to use so it’s easy for them to make their flag. Today we had colored sharpie markers and tarps on the ground for the kids to sit on in the park. It was a beautiful setting and 25 peace flags were made.

It was nice to be barefoot on the grass. There’s something about feeling the earth on my feet that gives me comfort. It was also interesting to see how the kids looked after they made their peace flag. There was a sense of accomplishment about them and an inner strength that came alive when they held their flags and had their picture taken.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to learn more, Peace Flags By Kids is my #1 friend on:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Check it out and see how you can be involved with this project.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Peace March With Arun Ghandi

I was with Peace Flags By Kids walking in the Peace March in Hollywood with Arun Ghandi today. Progressive talk radio host, Harrison, of Harrision On The Edge on AM1150 was the instigator for the event. There were a lot of protestors against the war in Iraq there. Protesting doesn’t seem all that peaceful to me, but whatever.

Arun Ghandi spoke before the march started. He really understands what peace is and how to achieve peace among nations. His grandfather taught him well. He spoke about peace and created peace in how he expressed peace. Then an angry college student read a speech about how wrong our government is and how poor our education system is.

It was an interesting contrast. It seemed like Arun’s words of wisdom had fallen on deaf ears when this other guy got up and disregarded all of what Arun had said as if he wasn’t even there. It’s a shame that this guy couldn’t have met with Arun Ghandi to discuss his concerns, learned something from this enlightened being and then wrote his little speech.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out Peace Flags By Kids in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
See our children's message to the world.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Not Much Sleep

I was up until 4am last night working on my grant request after I got home from the recording studio. Robert Eibach, my producer, gave me a rough mix of my song on CD so I could send it in with my proposal. I’m not use to functioning on 4 ½ hours of sleep. I do my best to get at least 6, but sometimes I just have stuff to do.

I’m a night owl by nature. My favorite hours of the day are 10pm-2am. There’s a peaceful energy at night when people aren’t going to be calling on the phone for anything and most people are sleeping. Even if I’m tired in the early evening something kicks in at night and I’m going strong by 10. I’ve tried to get to bed early and I just get up and work.

When I was reading books about Jewish mysticism I came across some writings that said midnight was the time when King David and the rabbis would get up to pray. That was the hour when God entered the Garden of Eden. I also found writings that said 4am-6am was the best time to meditate. I think every time of day is sacred if we treat it that way.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Late Night Sessions

If I didn’t need sleep I could keep going and going like the Ever Ready bunny. I remember the first time I saw those commercials on TV. I hated them, but I still remember that pink bunny banging away on that drum. And I don’t buy Ever Ready batteries even though I know about them. Hmmm. How effective is that?

So Robert and I will be in the studio for a late session tonight. We’re sweetening the low harmony part on “Wakantanka” and doing a basic mix so I can submit a copy of the song with my grant proposal. It’s wonderful that he set up a late session with me to get this done. He’s been at work since 8am with no break. I’ll be bringing him some ice cream.

I’ve been up since about 8:30am and have been working all day. I’ll be up working after our session, too. All this effort to get things done is going to pay off. I heard someone say that 80% of what you put into your goal gives you 20% of your return. The last 20% of your effort gives you 80% of the payoff, so it’s important to push ahead no matter what.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

More Harmonies

We were back in the studio last night recording the low harmony part for “Wakantanka”. My producer, Robert Eibach, was telling me about some of my musical quirks when we were sweetening the high harmony track after we recorded the low part. I didn’t really understand what he was talking about since I don’t know anything about music theory.

He said that I borrow notes from other keys and finish phrases with leading tones sometimes. I just hear what I think sounds cool and that’s what I sing. It doesn’t help Robert much when he’d like to know what note I’m singing or what I’m doing in a part when we’re sweetening things. I told him it’s not my strong point. He understands.

The trick to harmonies for me is to use them sparingly so they add depth and dynamics to the lyrics. Adding in harmony parts one at a time gives a nice build into a chorus. Deciding whether a low or high harmony gives a better feel for a phrase is also important for me to consider. The harmonies on this song really stretched my vocal range.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Grant Proposal

I’m working on a composer’s grant proposal to help pay for packaging, photography, CD manufacturing and PR costs for my single release of “Wankantanka”. What’s great about writing a grant proposal is that I now have to answer a number of questions and put everything in writing that I’m going to do for this song when it’s ready to be marketed.

There’s something about getting it down on paper, or in a word processor, that makes it more real. It’s like a declaration and a commitment to get something done. I like the energy that is building around what I’m writing. It’s solid and practical. It is giving me a road map of what to do and when to do it. It’s helping me finalize my plan.

It’s also giving me a bunch of phone calls to make. I have to include a budget with this proposal. Pricing out what is needed and finding the best way to go is a good exercise in scoping out resources and making new contacts. It’s a simple little deal, really and a fun one. When I love what I’m working on it doesn’t seem at all like work.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Monday, October 23, 2006

Busy Life

There’s a music manager I met named Mike Gormley who said something very simple that I have found to be true. “Activity brings activity”. In other words, when you want things to start happening, get busy. Do something, anything, just show up somewhere, talk to someone, and do that everyday. It will get things rolling, going somewhere.

I have no idea where being busy is taking me in my life even though I’m working on a new CD, working with Peace Flags By Kids and have a whole lot more to do than I did just a few weeks ago, and not knowing feels good. I wrote out new goals on October 17th because I got an email that said the energy that was around was good for that.

It’s fun to try new things or even old things when the opportunity shows up. It’s great to wake up in the morning and know that really cool things can happen in my day, even when I’m not looking. Some of the simplest things can keep me going, like laughing about something with a friend. I find it amazing that I have to schedule time to rest.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Helping Others

A number of years ago I heard someone say that if you wouldn’t take away someone’s joy don’t try to take away their pain. Pain is a great motivator and sometimes the thing that will get someone’s attention if they need to look at something they’re doing differently. I’m not a big fan of pain. I’ve never liked it particularly and tend to avoid it.

I usually have to check my motives when I’m ready to jump in and help others. That may sound weird, but my ego likes to think that it can save people, fix things and do things for others that they can’t or won’t do for themselves. And while I might think I’m doing “good”, I can find myself burnt out, frustrated, and not taking care of what I need to do.

It’s funny how subtle that can be. There are times when my helping someone out is a gift. That usually happens in the moment when I just happen to be in the right place at the right time and not much thought has gone into it. If I’m thinking about what another person should be doing and how I can fix that, I need to look at why I’m bothered by it.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Image

I have a new image consultant. Her name is Ava. She’s the first person who ever told me that I remind her of a dark haired Sarah Jessica Parker. We went online to look at photos of Sarah Jessica Parker, what she does with her hair, and found that Sarah is in need of an image consultant. She had on some of the worst clothes I’ve seen a girl wear. Oy!

So Ava is going to go through my closet with me to see what I have, what needs to be given away, and what I need to buy. Then we’ll go shopping. It’s all in preparation for the photo shoot and music video we’re doing for my single “Wakantanka”. We’ll also be using the shots to redesign my website and print things like postcards. Cool stuff.

It’s really great to be working with an image consultant. I have no idea what look I should go for in my photos or what my image should be. I just know I like to be comfortable in the clothes I wear, have outfits that can be put together in 2 minutes, and I like having “wash and go” hair. My make-up also needs to be basic and easy to put on.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Friday, October 20, 2006

Staying Real

I was talking to a real estate agent and she told me that she learned a long time ago that in real estate negotiations there are no emergencies. There isn’t anything that is “life or death” about it. She deals with people who are emotionally charged that can be highly reactive, demanding and irrational. She earns her sainthood on a daily basis.

A friend of mine gave me a print out from the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas: Rules for a Happy Marriage. ‘Rule #2- Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.’ I know that not everyone has heard of that rule because people yell at each other quite a bit in different situations, especially if they aren’t getting their way.

I like it when reminders show up in my life so I can be aware of how I’m treating other people. I’m not perfect by any means, but it is my intention to be kind, supportive and realistic in how I approach what I’m doing. If I get caught up in how I want the world to be and what I think is right and how I think people should act, I’m usually in my ego.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

My Elderly Friend

I have a number of friends who are elderly. It’s a wonderful gift to have friends who have experienced so much of their lives. They can really keep things in perspective. Whenever I talk to them they have a knack for breaking things down in a simple way. They’ve learned so much about life and how to live it. They know what’s important.

One of my friends is getting ready to sell her house. She’s lived there for 45 years. Her husband passed away awhile ago. They never had kids. She has a sister and a nephew who are close to her. Every time I go over there I can just feel the love she has for her home and how happy she’s been living there. The house has a glow from being loved.

She’s got a really good attitude about this new life change that she’s embarking on. I can see she has a level of trust in how things will turn out. Her mind is very sharp. Inside of her frailty and the shaking in her body, she still has the power of a person who knows how things work in life. I admire her strength and her commitment to her heart.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Harmonies

We recorded the high harmony part for “Wakantanka” in the studio tonight. I had worked a little on the low harmony, but didn’t know what would work because I was only listening to the lead and didn’t know how the low part would fit in with the high part. That’s because I don’t know what notes are in a chord or what notes I’m singing.

I write by ear and usually sing by ear as well. So my producer, Robert Eibach, www.myspace.com/roberteibach, recorded my high part and burned a CD for me with both vocals on it so I could take it home to work on the low part. Then he put down a great cello part for the song. The song is sounding really cool.

It’s a lot of fun working with Robert. We laugh a lot. We’re both perfectionists so we have a great tolerance for nit picking tiny details. I do want to thank my vocal coach, April Diamond, for my ability to write and sing the high vocal harmony part I recorded tonight. I didn’t have those notes in my range before I trained with her.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Monday, October 16, 2006

Peace Flags By Kids

My friend, Sharon Plache, started a project in August called Peace Flags By Kids in San Diego. She set up flag painting events for kids so their vision of peace could be shared with others. She has over 200 peace flags so far, many flags on public display, a chapter in Turkey and I’m now her Director in LA. So there is a chapter in LA, too.

The organization’s mission statement reads, “It is our desire to provide every Child on the Planet the opportunity to create a Peace Flag and have their voice heard.” All resources contributed go to keeping the organization growing. So I’d like to put out a call for resources to come in. Can you help? Money, printing, and art supplies are needed.

If you’d like to participate in a flag making event, know of an organization that would like to host one, or can donate goods or services, please contact the office at peaceflags@nethere.com. If you’d like to make a donation, please send checks made out to Peace Flags By Kids, 4070 Goldfinch St., Suite B, San Diego, CA 92103.

Blessings!
Laura

If you download a song or a CD zip file from my website, 75% of the money will go to Peace Flags By Kids. Buy my music and help the children of our world! Go to the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sunday, October 15, 2006

In The Groove

It was wonderful to play at Universal Bar & Grill last night. Aside from getting french fries, which is kind of my thing over there, I got to see Gary King, and then Danielle Egnew with Paul Houston on lead guitar (artists I adore) play their beautiful music! Paul even jammed with me on some of my songs. We hadn’t played together in over a year.

Playing a show was the perfect thing for me to do. Also, Sheena brought me back a fabulous plum pashmina from New York which is my new favorite thing to wear. She does understand my girlie side. It felt really good to be me again. With all the emotions I’ve been feeling it was great to pour them out in a performance and sing my heart out.

Today I was at a NARIP networking brunch. Those are such fun events. There’s a group of regulars that are great to hook up with and always new people doing such interesting things. I met a girl named Ava who has started her own artist’s image consulting practice. I’m going to be one of her first clients. Her background is in corporate design. Way cool.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Moving Forward

Today I dropped off my rats’ cage and some other stuff to my friend who volunteers at the Wildlife Way Station so another small animal in need will have a home now that my little rats have passed on and don’t need their cage anymore. There’s a sadness I feel inside that is really intense. I miss having my little girls in the house.

I’m glad they aren’t suffering with any illness and that they’ve moved on to a place where they can be healthy and happy. I do feel that they’re in a better place. And I know I will always love them deeply. I still think of them when I’m shopping for food. I used to look for different treats for them when I was at the store. It was fun.

Sheena Metal invited me to play a set at Universal Bar & Grill tonight so I could get my mind off of mourning. My vet’s office felt so bad about me having to put them both to sleep that they sent me a sympathy card. It’s special that people are so caring in this world. I know that isn’t always reported in the news, but I find it to be true in my life.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sweetening

I was back in the studio with my producer, Robert Eibach, working on “Wakantanka”. It was good to be in a creative mode in the midst of grieving the loss of my rats. It helped me relax more to be in a place where I feel magic all around. There’s something very calming for me about working with Robert. I don’t know what that is, it’s just how it is.

It was amazing to watch Robert work on sweetening tracks. He spent quite a bit of time on the lead vocal. I’ll be recording harmonies next week, so Robert wanted me to have a more polished lead track to practice with. What was nice to hear was how smooth the vocal sounded as he worked. Compared to the raw vocal track, sweetening made it sweet.

When Robert and I started this project, I had never spent the kind of time working on recording my songs that we’re doing for this CD. Going through this process is teaching me a lot. I find myself just getting my bearings with each step along the way. There are so many things I didn’t know about that go in to making a real record like the stars do.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Adjustment

I feel like a bucket of tears. My place seems empty without my little animals here. I cry every time I walk into my apartment. Lots of very kind people have told me that it takes awhile to get over losing pets. I’ve never had to put an animal to sleep before and I put two down. As one friend told me; it’s gut wrenching. This change in my life is very hard.

Every change I’ve ever gone through took an adjustment period for me to feel comfortable with. Even the good changes in my life have taken some time for me to get used to. It’s easier to adjust with the help of my family and friends. It must be a biochemical thing. New environments, new schedule, and new demands can be tough.

Raw emotion is really something. If I had to put a word to what I feel now it would be “SAD”. And I can also say I’m very lucky that I had Carole and Nicole, my two little rats, in my life because not everyone gets to receive that kind of pure love everyday. Some people may not think of rats as loving. My little girls were the most loving.

Blessings!
Laura

Have you been to my website? Check it out at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Loss

I woke up crying today. I miss my little rats. When I come home to my apartment and they’re not here I start to cry again. They taught me so much about love and about really showing up in life. Everything that means something to me and is important in life is now in focus and everything else doesn’t matter anymore. This has caused a big shift.

I’m lucky that I have so many people who love me in my life. I’ve always known that I have special relationships, but this experience has really shown me who cares and how much they do. I’m very grateful. My family and friends have been on the phone with me, gotten together with me and have been reassuring me that I gave them a good life.

When I talked to my mom last night after I buried Carole and Nicole, it was just like when I was 8 years. As soon as I heard her voice I burst into tears and cried really hard. There’s something about crying to your mom that doesn’t happen with anyone else. I hope God has something really special in Heaven for my babies. They deserve the best.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’re experiencing a loss in your life and could use some prayers email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
I’ll put you in my newsletter prayer request.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Rest In Peace Little Girls

Today I took my little rats, Carole and Nicole, to the vet to be put to sleep. I wrote about their condition in my last 2 blogs, “Saying Good-Bye” and “Part Of Life”. I cut my day short so I could spend some time with them before taking them to the appointment. I felt bad that I wasn’t spending the whole day with them but I couldn’t cancel some things.

When I got home, they were sleeping together. I started crying almost immediately and realized that if I had been home with them the whole day I would have just cried the entire time. I don’t think that would have been the best for them. I gave Carole her favorite treats to eat, (Nicole had stopped eating), talked to them a lot, gave them both lots of love and cried.

I brought a towel with me to the vet to wrap them in afterwards. Putting my little babies to sleep was the saddest thing I’ve ever been through. I cried so much. The vet was wonderful. He got a box for me and brought me a rose made out of green and pink gauze to put on their grave when I buried them. I was sad when I came home. I still am.

Blessings!
Laura

There’s a picture of me with my little girls when they were babies at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Monday, October 09, 2006

Saying Good-Bye

I spoke with the vet today about my little rats, Carole and Nicole. Nicole hasn’t been eating or drinking in the last few days and Carole’s tumor has gotten bigger and more cumbersome for her. The vet told me that it would be better to bring Nicole in than for her to starve to death. I started to cry and told him I would call him back.

The tumor that Carole has is getting an open sore on it, so I’m not sure what the vet will say is best for her when he sees her. There isn’t any way to bandage it or keep it clean so that could be a problem. My friend told me that chances are good that I’ll be saying good-bye to both of them tomorrow. They’ve always been together, so maybe that’s best for them.

I was crying a lot when I called back the vet to make the appointment to bring them in tomorrow. I started crying when I was at the store. I called my friends that have spent time with Carole and Nicole to let them know what was happening. That got me crying even more. It’s hard for me to say good-bye to my little girls. I love them so much.

Blessings!
Laura

There’s a picture of me with Carole and Nicole when they were babies at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Part Of Life

My little rats, Carole and Nicole, who I love dearly, have not been well lately. Rats don’t live very long. Many of them don’t live more than 2-3 years. My little girls are around 2 ½ years old now. Nicole has gotten very weak and isn’t able to move around much anymore. She looks sad because she’s not feeling good. Carole has a tumor on her side.

I took them to the vet a couple of weeks ago. I was told that it wouldn’t be a good idea to operate on Carole to have the tumor removed. I was also informed that they may not live more than 3-4 months anyway. I’ve cried a lot since that appointment. I’m doing my best to give them lots of love and keep them comfortable. They deserve to be treated well.

I didn’t know when I rescued them that I would fall in love with them. They’re the sweetest, most loving little creatures I’ve ever known. I’d never been around rats so I didn’t know anything about them. I learned a lot from the internet. My mom told me that I’ve given them a good life. I hope that’s true. I know I’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Blessings!
Laura

There’s a picture in the photo gallery of me with my rats when they were babies at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Low Overhead

I know that it’s fashionable to have stuff and I do like beautiful things. Expensive homes, luxury cars, jewelry, and pricey restaurants are all fun and nice. But I find that I have more freedom keeping my life simple with a low overhead. It reduces my stress level when it’s easy for me to pay my bills. To me a low overhead is luxurious.

It also allows me to be more focused on kindness rather than on just making money. I like making money, don’t get me wrong. But being consumed with having to make a lot of money distorts my personality in a way that I’m not comfortable with. I like putting myself in a position where money comes in to me because what I’m doing is beneficial.

Money pours into causes that are useful to people. Bill Gates makes a lot of money because he has created something that is of benefit to people’s lives. Otherwise no one would buy what he makes. No matter how much money I make I always look to keep my overhead low relative to the money I have coming in. That keeps me in good shape.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

The Departed

I went to a screening of “The Departed” with a friend. I’m not big on shoot em’ up mafia cop films, but this one was very well done. The acting was great, the directing was wonderful, the editing was brilliant and the script was really good considering the subject matter. I closed my eyes when the violence and gore got to be too much for me.

The movie will probably do very well. The characters were well developed and really fun to watch in some scenes. I was surprised at how many people got shot in the head. I didn’t count how many people died that way, but the movie may have set a record for that. They had the special effects down really well after all the practice they got.

It was almost disappointing to me that I enjoyed the film because violence isn’t something that I like to see in the world. Seeing actors on screen playing these roles can be entertaining, but the real life violence that people engage in can be so cruel. I guess violence has been prevalent in most times in history. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Double Gigging

Other artist’s flakiness has really been a benefit to me in my music career. I was booked to play Michael’s Pub, got a call in the afternoon to see if I could play LAMN Jam and also got an email offering me a set at Universal Bar & Grill to end the night. I’m doing an MTV thing in the morning, so 3 gigs was not a good thing for me this time.

I did enjoy double gigging. I got to play in Hollywood for the LAMN Jam. 3 industry pros critique 4 artists' performance of 2 of their songs. One of the judges, Jan Linder-Koda invited me to join her songwriters’ coalition for children’s music, so I’m really excited to be part of that. And Paul Michael of RCEG asked me to give him a call.

Good stuff and not bad for a fill in gig. Playing Michael’s Pub afterwards was really fun, too. Some of the regulars there requested my song “I Am” which is a sing-a –long, and it was great to see them smiling and laughing while they were singing. They say that 80% of success is showing up. The other 20 % comes in because other people don’t show up.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Mundane Tasks

I wrote a song when I lived in Telluride called “On the Edge”. Part of the lyric is…”Take the mundane to the sacred one step at a time. Every step is cutting nearer.” The song talks about how we’re on the edge of becoming a Divine race. According to astrology, we’re entering a new age. We’re at a crossing over point where things will improve.

It’s all about what our decisions are, what we buy into and continue to create in our hearts, minds and souls, what we talk about and agree with. If I take what I’m doing in my ordinary day and decide to bring something sacred to it, then something sacred will come into it. I have that choice to interact with my life in that way. So I make that choice.

You can do whatever you want. I like doing what brings me peace, comfort and joy inside about where I am, what I do and the experiences I have with people. I like caring about others whether others care or not. I like being kind whether others are kind or not. I like seeing beauty and magic in the world. It’s up to you what you find in what you see.

Blessings!
Laura

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Alien Secrets

I got to perform some of my music at the screening of Brandon Scott’s UFO feature film, “Alien Secrets” in North Hollywood. I’ve known Brandon more as a magician than an UFO investigator, but apparently he’s been involved with this for awhile. I haven’t really given much thought to aliens. I did like the movie “Men In Black” though.

“Alien Secrets” had an interview with an alien human hybrid woman. I had never heard of one of those. She said she has some skeletal anomalies and her blood type is O negative. According to the film, there are a lot of alien human hybrids living on the planet. And there are some species of aliens living here that are very human like.

I remember when I was in Sedona, Arizona once I met a woman who said she was working with extraterrestrials. If I’ve ever met an alien or alien human hybrid person they didn’t let me know they weren’t really human. Some of the men I’ve dated could have been aliens. I seem to be good at meeting men with strange names and funny quirks.

Blessings!
Laura

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Monday, October 02, 2006

Art

The thing about art that I find interesting is that art speaks for itself no matter what anyone has to say about it. And it will make its own statement whether the artist who creates it is there or not. It also will make an impression on those who encounter it whether they’re interested in getting an impression or not. Art has a life of its own.

True art is timeless. In any time, a piece of art will have meaning. It will convey something to any generation who interacts with it, whether it’s music, a painting, a story or poem. Art is brought forth in a linear fashion and then resides in suspended space. It seems to take on a personality and mystifies its surroundings. It’s magical in nature.

As an artist, connecting to that mystical aspect is vital to my soul. It makes me complete in a way that nothing else does. When I’m tapped into the Source of my creativity I am whole and fulfilled. It captivates me and inspires me to do things I would never have the courage to do on my own. With my art, I stand in the world with something to say.

Blessings!
Laura

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Sunday, October 01, 2006

Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, in Judaism is a day of standing before God and asking for forgiveness for all the things that you’ve done wrong this year. It’s a day where people are humble. It’s a time when you can ask people for their forgiveness if anything you have done has hurt them and you forgive them for what they’ve done, too.

I know that I make a lot of mistakes and I’ve been told that everyone does. I seem to have a harder time with the mistakes I make. It just feels bad inside when I think I’ve done something wrong. I guess that’s how I learn, from my mistakes. It’s nice that there is a day set aside where I can be forgiven and forgive. There is a lot of freedom in that.

There’s a practice of taking words and separating the letters to bring about new meaning in what the word represents. A day of at-one-ment can also be viewed as a day of being at one with God. Being at one with God is sacred. It’s easy to forget that we are all God’s kids when we get busy in our lives and have concerns in our days.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry